Channel television network contributions

Channel Television (now ITV Channel) covers the smallest ITV region. As such, apart from local news and sports programmes, and puffins place, didn't really produce much else.

But I'm sure I read somewhere that one time, and I think this was pre ITV PLC days, there was a rare Channel Television production that was networked. What was it, and did CTV produce much for the ITV network, or stuff that were not networked, but which other regions showed?

And I expect no to be the answer to this question; did CTV produce anything for channel 4?

Channel Television did produce a number of editions of the ITV Sunday religious programme "Highway" with Harry Secombe. The programme was based in Tyne Tees, but when editions came from the south of England, they used to rely on Channel Television to help with production.

As with all ITV regions, they would make contributions to the likes of Highway (where as well as episodes from the Channel Islands they also made some episodes from France) and Morning Worship, and they also made a couple of series of The Dodo Club, a kids nature series from Jersey Zoo. In fact they made a couple of networked documentaries about Jersey Zoo. And they also did an animated series called Bertie The Bat.

In the nineties, there was a proper push to get some network commissions because of course in those days companies far smaller than Channel were making network programmes, and Channel therefore compared themselves to the likes of Hat Trick. As part of this push was the teen drama Island, created by Adele Rose who had created Byker Grove, but it never caught on.

And their last appearance on the network was probably one of the worst programmes in recent years, the crappy game show Simply the Best in 2004, which was a Carlton production but was filmed in Jersey, so it was billed as a co-production with Channel.

Not even that any more.

I seem to remember a teen drama called Island but being a single word it's pretty impossible to Google.

There was also Simply the Best which was filmed on the Jersey waterfront before it was developed, although that was primarily Carlton.

Not really - Tyne Tees managed the programme, so looked after the rota and all the ongoing aspects, but the individual episodes were all made entirely by the relevant ITV company.

I only recall gameshow "Simply the Best" being co-produced by Channel and Carlton (it was filmed on Jersey).

According to UKGameShows.com, "The failure of this show had further implications on Channel Television - a rare producer for the network. A planned drama series in the early stages of production was quickly scrapped."

EDIT:


Beaten to it...

Was the video link to the Channel Islands bi-directional so that Channel could network a programme to the mainland?

Wikipedia states:

In 1970, Channel formalised its relationship with South West England ITV franchisee holder Westward Television allowing a greater share of programming between the two franchise holders.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITV_Channel_Television

Therefore could certain Channel programmes have been shown in the south west region but not networked nationally?

1972 Hush, Hush, Whisper Who Dares was offered network showing.

1986 Making Pye was marketed to Channel 4. Channel also produced an episode of Highway set in the Falkland Islands.

1989 The Queen in the Channel Islands is networked across ITV. The final series of The Dodo Club based at Jersey Zoo is broadcast on Children’s ITV.

1996 A major coup for Channel Television, the business is appointed to create its first dramatization collection Island a six part “soap” for Childrens ITV. Filmed on location in Jersey during the Summer, with a top writing team, well attracted characters, quality performing and also high production worths, the series was a success, bring in as much as 2.5 million viewers each episode.

2004 Channel’ s co-production with Carton Television for the ITV Network, Simply The Best, was taped at a specifically constructed field on Jersey’s Waterfront.

http://www.channelonline.tv/our-history/

I remember years ago in a library I stumbled across an old IBA year book from the early days of C4 (possibly 1983) and it said that the most internationally sold C4 show that year was a Channel produced kids show, possibly a cartoon.

There wasn't a video link to the islands, they used to take the networked programmes off air via a complicated system of receiving aerials: http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/fremontpoint/fremont-sabre.php

So as far as I know the only way they could have got a programme on air outside of their region was by sending the tape/film to the UK.

I don't know what happened if there was a major news story there, whether there was some sort of connection that could be used for ad hoc feeds.


When ITV went onto satellite there had to be a feed of their output back to the UK and IIRC that was done by sending either a sat truck or similar portable satellite uplink to Jersey. That sent the stations output back to London so it could then be multiplexed and transmitted with the other regions.

Now there's presumably some sort of fibre connection

It used to be the case that Channel was responsible for compliance on the ITV network, so that any fines slapped on them by Ofcom were the minimum possible. There was a formula or percentage to it which was basically meant it was far "cheaper" to squirt the entire operation via Channel where any fines were lucky to get into five digits,as opposed to via any other company.

Weren't they only responsible for compliance for indy productions? Though many of those sort of shows that tended to attract fines are made by indies anyway.

So the question is - who would have played out a networked Channel production? One assumes it would be taken to the mainland and then "presented" by that contractor?